Introduction
There are a lot of reasons you could be selling your Camper Van. You could want to downsize, your travels around the world may be behind you, or you could want a new one. All it takes to sell your Van is time and a little hard work to get the best price possible for the sale of your Van. Whatever the reason, selling a Van doesn’t have to be stressful.
Here are some Quick Tips and Advice on How to Sell a Camper Van.
Decide Where You Want to Sell Your Van
This is one of the most important parts of selling a Van because there are a lot of different routes you can take. But, to say it simply, you can either sell it online or offline.
If you sell it without the internet, you will most likely be selling it locally. This means parking it somewhere or even leaving it in your driveway, with a “for sale” sign in the window.
One of these places could be a nice campground. This will let the right crowd, people already interested in traveling and camping, notice your Van.
Selling online could means you can draw in nationwide interest and bring in thousands of viewers. If you decide to sell your Van on our website, you can begin by registering an account on our website.
Creating an Effective Ad on your Van
Choosing Your Ad
If you decide to sell your Van on Van Viewer, one of the biggest deciding factors is how long you’d like your ad to run. If you’d like top dollar for your Van, or you’re concerned your Van might not be in high demand, you may want to choose the “Max Exposure” plan, which ensures you won’t have to buy a new ad if your Van doesn’t sell right away. On the other hand, if you expect to get an average price for your Van and you’re fairly confident of a quick sale, you may want to consider running your ad for less time.
Setting the price is one of the most important steps in effectively selling your Van. A price set too high may delay your sale, and a price too low, cost you in missed revenue. It is important to take a quick survey of the current Van market, to determine what a comparable Van is listing for. You can do this on your own by looking at what similar Vans are selling for on VanViewer.com.
The biggest thing to remember when you’re deciding the selling price for your Van is to keep it reasonable. If you make the price too high, no one will buy it. If no one buys it in a decent amount of time, other people may get concerned that something is wrong.
A lot of people want to sell their Van for the same price they bought it along with any cost of modifications, but selling it for that same price is unlikely. The Van has lost some of its value over the time you’ve owned it and not everyone may find your modifications desirable, so you’ll no doubt have to sell it for less than you paid for it.
It is much better to put your Van at a slightly lower price that will sell a lot faster.
Entering Ad Info for your Van
A well written ad should accurately highlight the most important (and compelling) features of your Van. Van Viewer ads give an UNLIMITED text description field, so no need to leave anything out. With online sales, more description is typically better than less. A well written ad will result in more qualified buyers and a quicker sale. You should include all the information about your Van, but keep it relevant. In other words, it is okay to write a long description, but make sure it sticks to details buyers want to know.
Van Listing Description
Points to include in your Van listing:
Explain why you’re selling the Van – This is one of the most common buyer questions, so be sure to answer this in your ad.
Define forms of payment – Let people know up front what payment you will and will not accept (e.g., “will not accept foreign money orders”). Don’t take personal checks, and make sure you verify certified checks or money orders with the financial institution where they were issued.
Disclose prior maintenance – A well-maintained Van is a sought-after Van. Give prospective buyers added peace of mind by letting them know you took diligent care of your Van; it’s even better if you have the maintenance records to back up your claim. Include things like how many miles you have driven it, any recent repairs, the last time it had maintenance, and the quality of various features. The list could get long, so you may want to find ways to break up the text so it’s more reader-friendly.
Disclose issues that might need fixing – Why wait to see if prospective buyers find a problem that they know you would have known about? Honesty can help avoid souring the deal.
Put the Potential Buyer “in” the Van – Creating a good ad that a buyer relates to can make the difference between a quick profitable sale and just getting rid of the Van.
Be honest – Don’t waste your time or a buyer’s time by being evasive. Be up-front about any declarations to the Van title or any major damage in the Van’s history. If the buyer discovers this info through an Van history report check, they will feel you misrepresented the truth and may no longer want the Van.
Use proper punctuation and capitalization – Capitalizing entire words or sentences is difficult to read and makes it seem like you’re YELLING at people. Using slang can also drive people away from your ad.
Mention modifications – If you’ve added features to your Van that aren’t part of its standard options, be sure to mention them in your description. For example, if you’ve added an extra TV, solar panel or back-up camera, you may attract buyers searching for those extras.
Give warranty information – If your Van is still under warranty, the warranty is transferable and you have the paperwork, list what type of coverage your Van has and for how long. For example: 1 year left on appliances warranty.
Set your negotiating terms – Be sure to mention if your price is firm. Van ads commonly use the following terms for pricing: firm, obo (or best offer), negotiable or must sell. These can be easily added as the ‘Caption Header’ when setting up or modifying an ad.
Including Pictures
Photos give buyers their first impression of your Van and often help them to decide to contact you for a viewing. To quicken your sale, make sure there are at least 10 pictures, even more if possible. People don’t just want to know about the Van’s condition, they want to see.
The first photo should be a sunny-day shot of your cleaned and Van in an attractive outdoor setting so potential buyers will start imagining themselves using the Van. Include several pictures of the exterior from several angles. Extend awnings, pop ups or slideouts to show them off. If your Van offers massive storage, shine a light inside and show it. Inside your Van, potential buyers want to see the cockpit, main living area, bedrooms, kitchen, bath and any special or added features. Include a photo of any feature that makes your Van stand out. Buyers want to see what they are buying.
Including Pictures
Cleaning
A clean Van is easier to sell, and you’ll get a better price for it. Clean the Van inside and out, consider scrubbing the floors and polishing the exterior. All your personal belongings should be removed. People have a hard time picturing their lives in a Van that is still full of another family’s things. The rest of the Van needs to be clean as well. If your Van has a distinct smell, the carpets should be professionally cleaned to get rid of it. Any features that are broken should be repaired.
The Van needs to be up to date with required maintenance, and you should keep all the relevant paperwork that proves it’s in good condition. This will let interested buyers see that you have taken care of the Van.
People like seeing paperwork, so make sure you keep all the important Van paperwork and manuals organized and together.
Make it Look Inviting
If you have interested buyers, at least some of them will want to look at your Van in person. That’s why, when selling an Van, you have to make it look homey and inviting.
This could mean putting a vase of fresh flowers by the door or setting out refreshments on the counters. Spending a bit of extra money could make the difference.
New items not only make your Van look better, they may also increase its value.
Fixing
Now that you’ve cleaned the Van, you’ve likely come across some areas that need minor repair. Replace burnt out bulbs, replace broken light covers etc.
The Final Steps
Spread the Word
Word of mouth does wonders to help you find potential buyers. Some of the best and quickest used Van sales occur when the seller knows the buyer or the seller knows someone who knows the buyer. When your Ad is published, be sure to share the page url on your social media pages for more exposure.
Meeting Potential Buyers
Be prepared before you meet with your first potential buyer, it’s important to know what your Van is worth in today’s market.
You may want to leave a little room in your price for bargaining. Keep the negotiations open. Don’t say “yes” or “no” too quickly to any offer unless it’s entirely unrealistic. Many people negotiate for a used Van without knowing its actual value and only want to haggle down the price.
Be honest. You may be legally liable if you misrepresent your vehicle. Tell the potential buyer everything about the vehicle you didn’t include in your ad. If a buyer complains about a scratch, mark or stain, you may want to remind them that some wear-and-tear is normal for a vehicle of that age and mileage. Every used rig has scratches from road debris, and this is accounted for in the asking price.
Don’t avoid telling people all the necessary details. A person can tell when you’re being evasive, and they’ll probably find a different Van to buy. Be upfront with interested buyers and tell them all the important details, good and bad.
People are more likely to buy your Van if you tell them what they need to know then if you keep things from them, minor flaws and all.
Selling an Van Doesn’t Have to be Stressful.
Be patient. Most likely, you won’t sell your Van overnight. Often, it takes weeks or even months to make a sale. Whenever you get frustrated during the sales process, just think of what you’ll do with the extra money you’ll have for selling your rig on your own.
Completing the Sale
Bill of Sale
Use a sales agreement that describes your vehicle and spells out the sales price. State that the buyer is purchasing the vehicle “as-is,” with no warranties. Keep a signed copy for your records.
Transfer the Title
If you still owe money on your rig, you’ll need to pay the balance in full before the lien holder will release the title. Meet your buyer at the bank and complete the sales transaction. To release you from any possible liability, inform the Department of Motor Vehicles in writing that your vehicle has been sold.
